Xi Jinping faces challenge of reconnecting with the Chinese people

As Xi Jinping stepped out into the global spotlight on Thursday, pundits and state-media heaped praised on the man who will lead the world's second largest economy – and nearly 1.4 billion people – for the next 10 years.

But outside Beijing's Great Hall of the People – where China's new senior leadership was being unveiled – the street-level reaction was more muted.

Under one of dozens of giant screens that had been broadcasting proceedings live across the capital, China's 'laobaixing' – its ordinary men and women – giggled, frowned and shrugged off questions about the identities and agendas of their new leaders.

Dozens of people simply declined to be interviewed, claiming they had no time – or no opinions – to offer on the day's events.

"I have no ideas who the new Politburo members are," said Ning Qingzhen, an orange-clad street sweeper. "I'm not interested. I don't have any thoughts or views on it whatsoever."

Li Fuling, a 62-year-old sporting a green army cap with a red star, shared the sentiment. "It doesn't matter to me who are the leaders, so long as they can give laobaixing the real benefits," he said. "For ordinary people, the most important thing is harmony – to live their lives."

Even those who greeted their country's new leaders with enthusiasm, admitted to patchy knowledge of who they actually were.

"It's all very good. I'm quite happy," said Yang Li, 57. "[But] I can't remember all of the names of the new Politburo members."

The street-level reaction underlines one of the Communist Party's greatest challenges: how to stay in touch with the people, when those people have no say in who their leaders are.

In his speech Mr Xi admitted his party faced many "severe" problems, foremost among them becoming "divorced from the people". "History is created by the people, and people are the true heroes. The people are sources of our strength," he said.

Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political scientist from Hong Kong's Baptist University, said an avalanche of damaging scandals had left China's top leadership nervous about the "growing distance between the political elite and the people." "They have been through a real legitimacy crisis this year, starting with the Bo Xilai affair," he said. "They have a lot to mend to regain their image and their legitimacy and to demonstrate that they can do more in terms of fighting corruption and privilege. It's striking how the Communist Party has remained a secret society."

(L-R) Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli greet the media at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (Getty Images)

As Mr Xi wages a renewed battle for Chinese hearts and minds, reforming the country's household registration or "hukou" system would be a good start, said Jiang Jilan, a 26-year-old newspaper seller from Shandong.

Ms Jiang said she was excited about Mr Xi's presidency ("I read in the news that he worked all the way up from the bottom!") and admired the incoming premier, Li Keqiang. "He likes to read ancient books," she said.

But the hukou system – which meant she had no access to social benefits in her adopted home – needed to change.

"I've been in Beijing for ten years now. I went to school in Beijing, got married in Beijing and had child in Beijing, yet I can't pay my social security here," she said. "Even if we had the money we couldn't buy a house or car in Beijing. If CCTV asked me whether I was happy, I would raise this issue."

In the meantime, Ms Jiang was at least doing a brisk trade because of the leadership transition.